Six Weeks in Braces

Hi all,

Just wanted to check in with the official weekly update!  Today, I'm celebrating (is that the right word?) 6 weeks in braces.  Yes, that's right, I've spent the last month and a half carefully choosing foods that won't destroy my braces (or my mood) when I take a bite.

So, what's new with me?  Well, I had one bracket fall off last week after eating a Milky Way.  (Oops.)  But, my dentist and his staff were able to repair that in just under 20 minutes and I was on my way out the door.  To put it back on my tooth, they dried the tooth thoroughly with their air tool, placed a bit more of what I swear tastes like Crazy Glue and then held the bracket in place for a minute.  Afterwards, they cured the bracket with a tool that has a blue light at the end.  (I'm sure there's a more technical term than that -- haha!)  Lastly, they added a couple of fresh "donuts" to the brackets around that area and sent me on my way.  (If you'd like to know what donuts are, you might want to search back through my blog -- I've mentioned them before.)

Mental note -- don't bring your five-year-old with you when you go to the dentist.  She was on top of me (almost literally) gaping into my mouth while the dentist worked.  And, being the smart kiddo that she is, she asked A LOT of questions.  Thank goodness for my patient dentist, Dr. Joe Ramellini!

If you're in the Maryland area and are looking to talk with someone about the Six Month Smile, I've been having a good experience with Breton Bay Dentistry.  (And, no, I'm not being paid to do this!) Thanks,  Dr. Joe!

The photo below is a bit different than the ones I've shared previously.  Reason being is that I wanted to show progress on the teeth on my lower jaw.  I still see a lot of crowding, but it's getting better!

Six weeks in my Six Month Smile braces!  Straighter teeth are giving me something to smile about!

Loose braces bracket -- time for a tune-up!

I was just eating lunch when I felt something funny in my mouth.  (And no, the mayo on my Panera Bread sandwich was perfectly fresh!)  If you have braces, you may know where this is going.  Apparently, I had loosened one of my brackets and it had flipped over backward.  Not necessarily the most comfortable feeling.  So, I've called my dentist and am headed in this afternoon to for a quick fix.  All part of the fun of having braces, I guess!  I'm sure they'll need to remove the wire and then take the loose bracket off in order to fix it.  Keep your fingers crossed that this is a quick and painless fix!

Five Week Comparison Photos with Braces

Sitting at work this morning, someone looked straight at my smile and said -- your teeth have REALLY straightened a lot in the last few weeks.  Can I just tell you how nice that was to hear?  So, of course, I had to break out my cell phone and take a quick picture.  Here's my five and a half week shot compared to the day I got my Six Month Smile braces put on.

What do you think?  I think we're seeing progress! Weirdly enough, even the staining on my front teeth seems to be lessening a tad.  These are un-retouched photos.  (Hey, if you can't be honest in your own blog, where can you be?)

Here's me today, at 5.5 weeks into my braces adventure

Here's me just moments after getting my braces on. 

Fresh Donuts? Yup, I got 'em on my braces!

Today, marks the 5th week of my adventure into the world of braces.  I visited with my dentist and instead of changing out the wire like I expected, he gave me "fresh donuts"...something that greatly interested my five-year-old.  Donuts for braces aren't quite as tasty as the Dunkin variety, but they do add additional tension.  (For those of you who are curious, donuts are small round pieces that go around the brackets.) They were a bit uncomfortable to put on, but not bad. All in all, my visit took about 20 minutes.

The verdict?  Some of my molars are closing together nicely and my front teeth are slowly moving into place. Woohoo!!

So without further ado, here are the 5 week shots:

I love that you can hardly tell I'm wearing braces!

And the close-up.  The bracket on my front tooth isn't lighter than the rest, but I took this photo in a room that had a bit of sunlight glinting and it showed up in the photo.

Getting a New Braces Wire Tomorrow!

If you can believe, and I can barely, tomorrow marks my 5th week in braces.  I have an appointment to get my first wire changed out, and I have to admit that I'm a bit nervous.  After all, last time I sat in the dentist's chair, I left feeling a bit...tied up.  Anyway, I have an idea of what to expect -- and I'm also excited because I've heard that you can definitely start to see some movement in the second month.  Woohoo -- bring it on!

I'll update with some new photos tomorow as well as give an update on how the appointment went.  Hope all of you considering the Six Month Smile braces are getting something out of this blog!  It was great to hear from one of you who is...makes this whole blogging 'experience' worthwhile for me too! 

Week 3 -- Braces you can barely see -- and a new hair 'do!

My new 'do!

So, today marks week three of my adventure into the land of brackets and wires.  I'm doing well!  I'm not experiencing much pain at all -- probably due to the large amount of dental wax I still use. 

Since I'm in a "makeover" mode, I chopped many (MANY!) inches off my hair and have a whole new look.  I was able to donate my hair to Locks for Love, which makes and provides wigs for those going through cancer treatment.  I feel cooler (and lighter) and left the salon with the feeling that I've helped someone else.  By the way, can you see my braces?  Probably a little bit, but my guess is that they're not the first thing you notice!